整个电影界正目睹着《钢铁侠3》难以置信的全球票房成功，我们因而确信上一年《复仇者联盟》的非凡响应大力度提升了国内外对托尼·斯塔克领衔的又一部系列片的票房感召力。
As the industry watches the incredible global success of Iron Man 3, we now know that last year's phenomenal reception of The Avengers had a big hand in increasing the domestic and overseas appeal of another Tony Stark-led sequel.
例如，2010年《钢铁侠2》美国本土进账3.121亿美元，海外市场3.1亿美元。在与日俱增的《复仇者联盟》兴趣、不断扩大的市场和3D高价的三重联合猛击下，《钢铁侠3》迅速逼近全球10亿美元的票房大关。事实上，该片在许多亚洲市场已经超越了《复仇者联盟》的票房收入。
For instance, 2010's Iron Man 2 took in $312.1 million stateside and $310 million in foreign markets. With the triple-whammy combo of increased Avengers interest, expanding markets, and premium 3D prices, Iron Man 3 is rapidly approaching $1 billion global. In fact, the film has already exceeded The Avengers' box office receipts in many Asian markets.
在国内，扣除通货膨胀和3D票价因素，《钢铁侠3》在首映周末的票房销售上已经超越《钢铁侠2》， 这成功在第三部续集是相当罕见的，毕竟其前集（《钢铁侠2》）不像第一部那样受人喜爱。
Domestically, Iron Man 3 exceeded the number of tickets sold by Iron Man 2 on opening weekend after accounting for inflation and 3D prices. That's a fairly rare feat among second sequels whose predecessors (Iron Man 2, in this case) aren't as well-liked as the original film.
《钢铁侠3》很清楚地迈进在全球11亿美元票房（或许更多）的大道上，为漫威宇宙公司的下一部影片树立了更高的标准。
With a clear path toward at least $1.1 billion worldwide (and likely more), Iron Man 3 is setting a high standard for the next Marvel Cinematic Universe installments.
最先接受检验的是将会在11月上映的《雷神2：黑暗世界》。在国内，该续集大有希望达到2011年首部《雷神》的1.81亿美元票房——但若将其与《钢铁侠3》等量齐观，似乎还是一项艰巨的任务。为什么？一个词：《星火燎原》。狮门影业志在必得的《饥饿游戏2：星火燎原》将在11月22日上映，仅在《雷神2》放映后的14日。
None will be tested sooner than Thor: The Dark World, releasing this November. Domestically, that sequel has a good shot at the first Thor's $181 million in 2011--but being regarded as an event nearly as large as Iron Man 3 still seems a herculean task. Why? Two words: Catching Fire. Lionsgate's surefire hit opens just 14 days after Thor 2 on November 22.
这就是说，上一年《饥饿游戏》第一部在海外市场的成绩并不如在北美市场火热。如若情形不变，会使《雷神2：黑暗世界》赢得海外优势——这一点现在很重要。2011年的《雷神》总共赚得2.65亿美元的海外收入（在当时这本身就是令人印象深刻的数字）。如果《复仇者联盟》和《钢铁侠3》真能反映海外市场对漫画流派的兴趣正在提升（最近由克里斯托弗·诺兰执导的《蝙蝠侠：黑暗骑士》续集所表明的），那么《雷神2》相比前集将有可观增长。
That said, the first Hunger Games movie wasn't quite as big of a monster hit overseas as it was in North America last year. If the status quo remains there, that gives Thor: The Dark World a foreign advantage--a very important one these days. 2011's Thor grossed $265 million overseas (itself an impressive number at the time). If the success of The Avengers and Iron Man 3 really are indicative of expanding foreign interest in the comic book genre (something recently shown by Chris Nolan's Dark Knight sequels), The Dark World may stand to gain quite a bit on its predecessor.
除了《雷神》系列，下一部续集是2014年的《美国队长：冬日战士》。该片选择下年4月上映（目前所知）。作为3个单一“复仇者”中卖座最低的电影（“绿巨人浩克”在可预见的短期里将不会出单集，所以排除在外），想要大力超越前集的3.677亿美元全球票房总额或许仍不太可能。这类主角明显国内偶像的特征偏重北美市场表现，借力下年夏季档期不失是一个好的对策。
Beyond Thor, the next sequel will be 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier. That film has opted for an April release next year (for now, anyway). As the lowest grossing of the three major solo Avengers (we're excluding Hulk since his solo movies have ended for the foreseeable future), a large increase over the sequel's $367.7 million global tally isn't likely... yet. The nature of that character's obvious domestic appeal puts more importance on the North American performance, and getting a jump on the summer schedule next year isn't a bad strategy on how to tackle that.
接下来是2014年8月的《银河护卫队》。这将可能是漫威迄今最深奥的一部改编剧，而他们的业绩记录也难以探究。全新角色阵容和全新漫画背景，预测其票房潜力目前根本无从下手，完全是个未知数。
Then, in August 2014, comes Guardians of the Galaxy. This will be Marvel's most potentially esoteric adaptation yet, but their track record is hard to dispute. With a complete cast of new characters and new cosmic settings, forecasting its box office potential is simply out of the question for now. It's a complete wild card.
不过在核心续集中有两个因素值得记牢。第一、《钢铁侠3》是其系列中第一部3D作品，尽管《雷神2：黑暗世界》与《美国队长：冬日战士》注定会得益于《复仇者联盟》的成功，但它们的前集早已在2011年就推出3D版本。换言之，要期待海外票房（如《钢铁侠3》比《钢铁侠2》那样最终赢得的）200-250%的增长对于这两部来说似乎几无可能。
There are two factors to remember with the core sequels, though. #1: Iron Man 3 was the first in its series to be released in 3D. While The Dark World and The Winter Soldier still stand to gain from the success of The Avengers, their predecessors were already released in 3D in 2011. In other words, expecting a 200-250 percent increase in foreign grosses (as will ultimately be enjoyed by Iron Man 3 over Iron Man 2) seems highly unlikely for those two.
第二个因素：收益递减规律。作为第一部 《复仇者》后电影，不排除《钢铁侠3》将会比其他几部单独 “复仇者”电影获利更多。尽管如此，《雷神2》与《美国队长2》的续集仍将是全球市场的主力影片。其一（甚或两部）如《超凡蜘蛛侠》这类成功顶级大片横扫全球7.58亿美元票房，并非完全神话。但这两部会有1亿美元的未来吗？似乎不大可能，但《钢铁侠3》教会我们，永远别说做不到。
The second factor: the law of diminishing returns. As the first post-Avengers movie, it cannot be ruled out that Iron Man 3 stood far more to gain than any of the other solo films will. Nevertheless, both the Thor and Captain America sequels will still be major global players. The $758 million global take of an established A-list property like The Amazing Spider-Man might not even be out of the question for one (or both). Will $1 billion be in either of their futures? It seems unlikely, but Iron Man 3 has taught us to never say never.
最后，如果遵循2012年15亿美元票房收入现象，漫威的《复仇者联盟2》占据天时地利，两年后将会再次征服票房。我们有信心这一天指日可待。
Ultimately, as it follows a $1.5 billion-grossing 2012 phenomenon, Marvel's The Avengers 2 is well-positioned to conquer the box office again two years from now. That much we can take to the bank.